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IAAF Study Into Testosterone Is Nonsense, Says Semenya

Caster Semenya told reporters on Monday that she has “no time for nonsense” when it comes to allegations over her high natural testosterone levels. Semenya, … Continue reading IAAF Study Into Testosterone Is Nonsense, Says Semenya


Semenya
Semenya

Caster Semenya told reporters on Monday that she has “no time for nonsense” when it comes to allegations over her high natural testosterone levels.

Semenya, who won bronze in the women’s 1500 metres at the IAAF World Championships in London on Monday, has been questioned her whole career over her hyperandrogenism and the claimed advantage the high testosterone levels give her.

The IAAF published a study earlier in July which suggests athletes with the condition had an improved performance of between 1.8 and 4.5 percent.

On the track, Semenya said she had enjoyed her major championship experience of the longer distance after finishing third behind Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and U.S. runner Jennifer Simpson.

The South African will start as favourite to retain her world title over 800m later this week.

Elsewhere, Omar McLeod brought the smile back to Jamaican sprinting as he powered to the 110 meters hurdles title before dedicating his triumph to Usain Bolt.

Following the shock defeats of Bolt and Elaine Thompson in the 100 meters events, McLeod, another overwhelming race favourite from the Caribbean island, made no mistake as he added the world crown to the Olympic title he won last year.

The 23-year-old dominated the race, winning in 13.04 seconds, a meter clear of the defending champion Sergey Shubenkov, the Russian who was competing as an ‘authorized neutral athlete’ with his country’s federation still banned from international athletics.

Shubenkov, who clocked 13.14, was the first Russian to win a medal in London while Hungary’s Balazs Baji took a surprise bronze in 13.28.

World record holder Aries Merritt, of the U.S., who won the Olympic title in the same stadium five years ago, started strongly but faded into fifth place in 13.31 seconds.

Yulimar Rojas claimed Venezuela’s first-ever world title when she won the women’s triple jump by two centimetres from great rival Caterine Ibarguen in a see-saw battle.

The 21-year-old’s win came one day after the South American country won their first medal of any colour when Robeilys Peinado took the bronze in the women’s pole vault.

Afterward, Rojas said she hoped her country, which is embroiled in an economic and constitutional crisis that has resulted in more than 120 people being killed in anti-government protests, would overcome its problems sooner rather than later.

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